


The Reading Rainbow(aka. the gay library au)

by celestialcass



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Library, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Everyone Is Gay, F/F, Fluff, Meet-Cute, Useless Lesbians
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-03
Updated: 2017-10-03
Packaged: 2019-01-08 17:25:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12258795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celestialcass/pseuds/celestialcass
Summary: The Pallura library fic no one asked fororPidge is too gay for this





	The Reading Rainbow(aka. the gay library au)

Katie couldn't remember the last time she'd slept. 

Midterm week was here, and spending all of her time studying was not ideal, but necessary to survive. Hunched slightly over the window-side table she'd monopolized for her uses, Katie rubbed at her eyes with the back of a hand. God she was tired. But her astrophysics final was in just 26 hours, and she needed to get down these formulas before she allowed herself to sleep.

Lance had tried to drag her back to the dorms earlier, but he was a dance major. He couldn't understand the sheer amount of math and science she had to cram into her brain in such a short time. 

Katie went to take another sip of her coffee, but upon raising the flimsy cup to her lips, there was no liquid caffeine to be found. She sucked at the empty air for a moment, hoping a few drops were left, but no dice. 

Sighing a bit too loudly for a library, she stood and dropped the cup in the recycling. She'd have to fetch some coffee from the shop next door soon, but she may as well prep the next chapter's material for studying. Shoving her completed texts into her bag, Katie ventured into the shelves of the Space section again for her last book. 

The library's quiet atmosphere was punctuated by a few coughs and pages turning as she located the book she'd need, a few shelves up. 

Katie wasn't tall. She knew that. Libraries had an unfair amount of books up way too high for a five-foot-nothing like her to reach, but she wasn't about to concede defeat and ask the person at the front desk to get her the rickety old ladder someone probably died on. 

So she resolved to get her book on needlessly complicated space navigation. Reaching to her full height, Katie stretched and stood on her tiptoes... and wasn't even close. She hopped a bit, hoping to grab the book quickly, but instead missing entirely. She scowled at the offending text, wondering if she could _climb_ the shelves without falling or toppling the whole thing.. when a small giggle came from her right.

Turning, Katie saw her- a towering beauty with dark skin and long silvery hair, blue eyes shining with amusement. 

"Hello, there." British, it had to be british. Of course her weakness for pretty accents would come in here.

"I couldn't help but notice- so sorry for laughing, but it's.. you seem to be having a bit of trouble?"

Katie tried to respond, but her words failed to leave her mouth. Her cheeks grew red. 

_You useless gay, talk to her!_

She cleared her throat, fully blushing now. "Um, y-yeah! I'm.. I'm a bit short to reach the book I need." She pointed weakly. 

The girl smiled, and everything got so much worse. Why did the prettiest girl in the university try to help Katie when she was sleep-deprived and socially awkward to begin with?

"Here, let me help you!" The girl leaned forward a bit, plucking the book easily off the tall shelf and holding it out to her. 

Katie's blush only got worse when their fingers brushed exchanging the heavy text, and the girl seemed to notice. 

"Don't be embarrassed, now you're even cu- I mean, it's completely normal to be.. um.." It was the girl's turn to trip over her own words. Her gaze finally settled on Katie's again. "I'm Allura. Allura Altea." 

"Oh! I'm.. I'm Katie Holt. Wait, you're the Dean's daughter?" 

"Ah, yes, I am." Allura breathed out. "I forgot that might mean I have a reputation." Her eyes glimpsed the book Katie was holding and she lit up. "Are you interested in space?"

That amazing smile returned, and Katie had to catch her breath. "Y-yes! I'm an Astrophysics major. Second year." Just when her blush was finally receding, Allura _grabbed her hand_.

"Ah, that's wonderful! Space is truly fascinating, don't you agree? I'm an Astronomy major, International Correspondence minor. Third year." The shine in Allura's eyes alone made Katie grasp for something more to say. 

"I know what you mean, I always wanted to explore space." 

"I've never been too good with technical skills, so actual piloting seems a bit of a distant dream, but.. are you interested in actually becoming an astronaut? Maybe a pilot?"

Katie couldn't believe how excited Allura got over space- It was unbearably attractive. "Ah, that's the goal. My father and brother- they're part of the Kerberos exploration team, they left a few months ago. I want to follow in their footsteps." 

Allura seemed to soften. "Or carve your own path?"

Katie nodded silently, not trusting her voice. This was getting to some serious topics, and she barely knew Allura. Only that she was extremely beautiful, interested in the same things, and super supportive for someone she'd just met..

Yeah, okay. "Um, I was gonna go get coffee if you want to.. " Her golden eyes locked with blue.

"Join you? Of course!" Allura's hand rested on her back. "I'd love to."

Katie almost spontaneously combusted when Allura touched her, but somehow she kept it together. And as Allura lead her to the coffee shop, Katie felt simultaneously more at peace and more excited than she'd been in a long time.

~

*back in time five minutes*

Allura looked up from library paperwork to see a petite form walking through the shelves and stopping in the Space section.

She slowly set down her pen, interest piqued. 

The girl was very short, with honey colored hair and pale skin spattered with freckles like constellations. Her button nose and large eyes made her extremely cute, but Allura could tell right away that they were of similar ages. That, and they were both in university. Duh.

The small girl skimmed her fingers along the alphabetized books until she found what she was looking for, and looked up. Allura watched as she reached for some book way out of her reach, and found the girl unbearably adorable.

She had to help.

 


End file.
